BFJ Radio

Today’s news is filled with stories that break our hearts. On Bread for the Journey Radio, you’ll hear stories that help mend it back together. Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews people who inspire us to think about our own lives, and what we can do to make a difference in the world.

Some, like Marianna, have suffered a tragedy, and, as a result, have created something beautiful to bring others healing. Others are helping women in crisis, making life better for children living in poverty, greening their neighborhood, or any number of creative things that make their community more beautiful, healthy, and connected. Their stories become Bread for our Journey, inspiration and nourishment for a life well lived.

Servant Leadership and The Council of Equals—An Interview with George SanFacon and Gary Boelhower, PART ONE

Special Encore Presentation: Authentic Conversations: An Interview with Carole Peccorini

A casual conversation with Carole Peccorini is both lighthearted and deep. She has a knack for making people feel at ease while talking about our most precious dreams, the kind of world we want, and what we envision ourselves doing in order to create it.

Into the Fire: A Story of Courage and Resilience – An Interview with Lesia Cartelli

Lesia Cartelli endured a serious burn injury over 50% of her face and body from a natural gas explosion at her grandparents' at the age of nine. The home was completely destroyed yet her spirit survived.

Zara Babitzke loves teenagers and young adults. Their honesty, resilience and spunk endear them to her and she has dedicated her life to helping those in need find their way to safety and comfort with skills to help them thrive.

An Urban-Design Success Story ~ An Interview with Constance Perenyi

Imagine a developer choosing to revive a declining mall by starting a local bookstore and creating a large, open community space with seating everywhere and a performance stage for people to enjoy shows for free.

Overcoming Adversity – An Inspiring Interview with Christine Timmins

On her way home from a carefree day at the beach, Christine was in a car accident that left her quadriplegic. An unexpected divorce came four years later and then a diagnosis of Stage IV breast cancer.

Paying Attention to Dads: An Interview with Deborah Boldt and Allan Shedlin

You’d be hard pressed to find two people more dedicated to transforming the lives of fathers and children than Deborah Boldt and Allan Shedlin, the remarkable people behind the effective Santa Fe program, REEL FATHERS.

Special Encore Presentation: Finding a Path out of Youth Violence: An interview with Kelvin Potts

Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews Kelvin Potts, founder of the Teen Boys Rites of Passage program in Oakland, CA. Kelvin’s early life was marked by violence and self-destruction. Somehow, he survived and found his way out. Some of his friends didn’t.

Special Encore Presentation: The Hidden Power of Gratitude – An Interview with Jeremy Adam Smith

In a moment of natural gratitude, with a heart full of awe, a problem I had been carrying with me disappeared. Dissolved in a moment. That got me thinking about how most of us view gratitude as a beautiful, sweet gesture, and yet don’t realized how powerful it really is. Join me today as I interview Jeremy Adam Smith of the Greater Good Science Center. At GGSC, scientists have begun to chart a course of research aimed at understanding gratitude and the circumstances in which it flourishes or diminishes. They’re finding that people who practice gratitude consistently report a host of benefits: stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure; higher levels of positive emotions; more joy, optimism and happiness; acting with more generosity and compassion; feeling less lonely and isolated. We’ll be talking about what they’re learning and how we can create a daily gratitude practice to benefit our lives and the lives of those we love.

An Interview about Love, Loss and Reunion with Lynn Price

Did you know that of the almost 600,000 youth in the foster care system in the US, 75% are separated from at least one sibling when placed in foster care? If you had siblings growing up, can you imagine your childhood without them?

Special Encore Presentation: How We Can Approach Our Sorrow as a Gift—an Interview with Denise Martini

“Thus our sorrow becomes our gift…. As soon as we begin to heal – the instant we experience some degree of inner clarity or spaciousness – in the very next breath, generosity naturally arises. As we feel the measure of our own strength, we simultaneously experience a natural impulse to share it. This is not faith, this is simple spiritual physics: As we are fed, so do we wish to feed others.”
—Wayne Muller
In the midst of a difficult life passage, we rarely reflect on it as a gift. That’s natural enough. We’re in the fire of pain and sorrow. However, for those who have walked through the experience to the other side, there is a larger story often told—one of gratitude for the heart-break becoming a “heart broken open.” Today Marianna will speak with Denise Martini, a Certified Hakomi Practitioner and Movement Facilitator, who skillfully guides her clients through their sorrow and has seen the compassion and tenderness that arises in the aftermath.

The Freedom Writers ~ An interview with educator, Erin Gruwell, the inspiration behind the movie, and Tiffony Jacobs, one of the original students

Who saw two-time Oscar Winner, Hillary Swank, portray Erin Gruwell in the Freedom Writers? It was a remarkable movie and this week Marianna will be interviewing the real-life teacher who inspired it—Erin Gruwell—as well as one of her students from the original classroom, Tiffony Jacobs.
By fostering an educational philosophy that valued and promoted diversity, Erin Gruwell transformed her students’ lives. She encouraged them to re-think rigid beliefs about themselves and others, reconsider daily decisions, and ultimately re-chart their futures. With Erin’s support, they chose to forego teenage pregnancy, drugs, and violence to become aspiring college students, published writers, and citizens for change. They dubbed themselves, the Freedom Writers, in homage to civil rights activists, The Freedom Riders.
With the Academy Awards this Sunday, we feel it’s the perfect interview for this week.
The Freedom Writers Foundation has received a grant from Bread for the Journey of Irvine.

Meet Gaylon Logan, Jr., a man who brings to bear everything he knows about human strength, personal talent and the influence of culture to the nurturance of family and community. His ground-breaking work in Oakland, CA and the surrounding area is transforming the way boys grow into men, men learn to express themselves and family members at every age become supportive to one another.
In this interview he breaks down the process he uses to strengthen a family and shares his vision for a world in which we honor ourselves, our family and our community at the same time. His program, Village-Connect, was the recipient of a grant from Bread for the Journey of Berkeley. Please join us. You’ll be glad you did.

Special Encore Presentation: BEING A COMPASSIONATE COMPANION TO THE DYING: Frank Ostaseski

Caring for people who are dying can be an intimate and deeply alive experience. It is a journey of continuous discovery, requiring courage and flexibility. We learn to open, take risks, and forgive. Taken as a practice of awareness, it can reveal both our deep clinging and our capacity to embrace another person's suffering as our own.
This week, Marianna interviews Frank Ostaseski, founder of the Zen Hospice Project and his current project, Metta Institute, which provides broad based education on mindful and compassionate end of life care. A visionary Buddhist teacher and healthcare consultant, Frank’s groundbreaking work on the contemplative care of the dying has been widely featured in the media, including Bill Moyers’ On Our Own Terms and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Frank will introduce us to his Five Precepts of Service which addresses the practical, emotional, and spiritual issues inherent in this unique relationship.
Join us on this courageous, heart-opening journey!

Special Encore Presentation: Organic Meals for those with Life Threatening Illnesses – The Ceres Community Project

In 2006, Cathryn Couch received a call from a friend, asking her if she could hire her teenaged daughter for the summer. That call set Cathryn on a path of teaching young people to cook, and providing nourishing, locally grown meals to people with a serious illness like cancer. With a seed grant from BFJ of Sonoma County, Ceres Community Project was launched. Five years later, the young gardeners and chefs have prepared over 110,000 meals for those with serious illnesses.
Across the country, BFJ of Southwest Michigan gave a grant to help launch Fair Food Matters. Since 2002, FFM has been teaching thousands of diverse youth and adults every year, through school-based and community gardens, a commercial kitchen, farmers’ markets and dozens of food-related events and programs. Catch the passion of program mgr. Erica Barajas to bring equity and nourishment to Kalamazoo through food.

The Art, Science and Alchemy of Breathing ~ An Interview with Robert Litman

We draw breath 20,000 times a day. Yet most of us have no idea we can use it as a vehicle for richer physical and emotional health. In truth, our breath is one of the most potent tools we have to assist with the suffering and pain of everyday life and to improve breathing disorders such as asthma, anxiety, allergies, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. The goal of Robert Litman’s process, The Breathable Body, is to help people access their own power to make their lives more nourishing, more comfortable, and more breathable.
Robert is so passionate about helping people breathe better that many years ago he was given a grant to study The Buteyko Institute Method of Breathing Retraining. Combining that with other teachings, he eventually created a comprehensive program called The Breathable Body, now helping countless people.
Join us and learn about the most valuable health resource you have—your breath— which has been with you day and night since the day you were born, and is free.

Open Roads – A Spirited Interview about Kids and Bikes with Ethan Alexander

Do you remember your first bike? Maybe it was a 10 speed you hauled out of your parent’s garage or a purple banana-seat cruiser with all the bells and whistles. Do you remember the feeling? The first time you could ride without wobbling side to side, the wind blowing through your hair. Do you remember who taught you to ride? A parent chasing after you trying to steady the back end; an older brother doing loops around you showing you just how easy it is.
Ethan Alexander’s passion is to make sure EVERY kid has this experience. With a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and over 10 years of experience in child and family therapy, he knows what makes kids tick, and through his burgeoning non-profit, Open Roads , in Kalamazoo, MI, he and his merry band of bike aficionado’s teach young people valuable social and bike mechanic skills in order to better prepare them for their future.
Join us for this spirited conversation about how bikes and open roads are key in a kid’s life.

Special Encore Presentation: Music as Medicine for the Heart—an interview with Gary Malkin

If the 20th Century was considered the Age of Information, the 21st Century will likely be called the Age of Integration – a time of bringing together hearts and minds, science and spirituality, intellectual intelligence and emotional IQ. Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews Gary Malkin – the maestro of this alchemy. He is passionate about the vital role music, media, and the arts can play as an integrative resource for greater humanity and emotional intelligence. Through his organization, Wisdom of the World and as a composer for numerous award-winning television and film projects for nearly thirty years, Gary is known for working on socially responsible media projects supporting themes such as environmental sustainability, tolerance, children’s welfare, cancer research, and global healing. Join us as we talk about his life-enhancing project, Music as Medicine for the Heart and his remarkable CD Graceful Passages—A Companion for Living and Dying.

Children and Grief – Help for the residents of Newtown, CT – PART TWO

After the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, I felt moved to offer what I could to the residents and others who wish to learn about how to be there for someone who is grieving a death. This week in Part Two of our discussion, I will focus my comments on how to be there for children.
You will learn there is no “one size fits all” formula for helping our kids overcome their losses, however there are some basic guidelines that will help you to be more present, less frightened, and more skillful with them. Having been a child who experienced the kidnapping and murder of my best friend when we were only 11 years old, I will offer a first-hand perspective of what helps and what doesn’t as seen through the eyes of a child.

Being There for the Residents of Newtown, Connecticut

Being there for someone we love who is grieving a death is difficult. In the case of murder, it is even more challenging. When something like the mass killing that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary happens, at first blush we find ourselves bereft of any coping skills. And yet, here we are, in the midst of the unthinkable.
Today I will speak about grief and how to be there for children and adults in a way that is helpful, kind and welcomed. Using a simple framework that is easy to learn and remember, I will walk you through the journey and offer a few simple guidelines for how to be there for someone you love who is grieving. Having survived the gruesome murder of my best friend when we 11 yrs. old, I can offer the first hand perspective of a child coping with unwelcome images and seemingly unbearable loss.
Marianna’s life work is just what the heart calls for when, as Merton said, ‘Prayer becomes impossible and the heart has turned to stone.’ –Stephen Levine

Bread for the Journey R A D I O presents: Art Saves Lives: An Interview with Kristin Otwell

For nearly 20 years, Kristin Otwell and Joan Burleigh have given people living with disabilities a place to express themselves artistically – without pressure, threat, or competitiveness. At Art Explorers in Fort Bragg, CA, these artists-in-the-making have found friends who feel like family, and an art studio that feels like home. Here, they have freedom of personal expression and a place to grow through their participation in the visual arts. And they can host exhibits to show and sell their work!
Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews Kristin Otwell. Learn about this inspiring venue that improves the lives of people living with disabilities and those who love them.

Special Encore Presentation: Precious Time, Big Love – Volunteering for Good

The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.
Frederick Buechner
Join us this week as we speak with two volunteers of Bread for the Journey. Michelle Fulton gives her precious time to our most rural chapter in the Feather River region of northern California, near Quincy. Jill Heiney-Smith’s loving touch benefits those in the urban setting of Seattle, Washington. Learn what it means to run a Bread for the Journey chapter; to have an opportunity to work at one’s own pace, within one’s own schedule, and touch the lives of hundreds of others for good by offering small gifts with love.

The Hidden Power of Gratitude – An Interview with Jeremy Adam Smith

In a moment of natural gratitude, with a heart full of awe, a problem I had been carrying with me disappeared. Dissolved in a moment. That got me thinking about how most of us view gratitude as a beautiful, sweet gesture, and yet don’t realized how powerful it really is. Join me today as I interview Jeremy Adam Smith of the Greater Good Science Center. At GGSC, scientists have begun to chart a course of research aimed at understanding gratitude and the circumstances in which it flourishes or diminishes. They’re finding that people who practice gratitude consistently report a host of benefits: stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure; higher levels of positive emotions; more joy, optimism and happiness; acting with more generosity and compassion; feeling less lonely and isolated. We’ll be talking about what they’re learning and how we can create a daily gratitude practice to benefit our lives and the lives of those we love.

How We Can Approach Our Sorrow as a Gift—an Interview with Denise Martini

“Thus our sorrow becomes our gift…. As soon as we begin to heal – the instant we experience some degree of inner clarity or spaciousness – in the very next breath, generosity naturally arises. As we feel the measure of our own strength, we simultaneously experience a natural impulse to share it. This is not faith, this is simple spiritual physics: As we are fed, so do we wish to feed others.”
—Wayne Muller
In the midst of a difficult life passage, we rarely reflect on it as a gift. That’s natural enough. We’re in the fire of pain and sorrow. However, for those who have walked through the experience to the other side, there is a larger story often told—one of gratitude for the heart-break becoming a “heart broken open.” Today Marianna will speak with Denise Martini, a Certified Hakomi Practitioner and Movement Facilitator, who skillfully guides her clients through their sorrow and has seen the compassion and tenderness that arises in the aftermath.

Homeless Teens Learning to Thrive – An interview with Zara Babitzke

Zara Babitzke loves teenagers and young adults. Their honesty, resilience and spunk endear them to her and she has dedicated her life to helping those in need find their way to safety and comfort with skills to help them thrive. Her organization, Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO) works with homeless young people ages 16-25 in Marin County, CA who need a caring adult to help them become contributing adults and future leaders. Today, Marianna will talk with her about some of the common threads she sees in this population, what we might learn about their resilience, and how hardship can sometimes make us stronger.

Seven Thousand Ways to Listen – An interview with Mark Nepo

Join Marianna as she interviews Mark Nepo, author of a new book, SEVEN THOUSAND WAYS TO LISTEN: Staying Close to What is Sacred. “Listening is the way we befriend the life we’re given,” says Mark.
“Our friendship with everything larger than us opens us to the wisdom of Source. This is the work of being.
Our friendship with experience opens us to the wisdom of life on earth. This is the work of being human.
And our friendship with each other opens us to the wisdom of care. This is the work of love.
These eternal friendships are intertwined and inseparable. We need to listen for their wisdom if we have any hope of living an awakened life. These three friendships — the work of being, the work of being human, and the work of love — frame the journey of this book and this interview.”

Special Encore Presentation: Join Marianna as she interviews 2 passionate people who are nurturing and healing their communities through the power of healthy, local food.

In 2006, Cathryn Couch received a call from a friend, asking her if she could hire her teenaged daughter for the summer. That call set Cathryn on a path of teaching young people to cook, and providing nourishing, locally grown meals to people with a serious illness like cancer. With a seed grant from BFJ of Sonoma County, Ceres Community Project was launched. Five years later, the young gardeners and chefs have prepared over 110,000 meals for those with serious illnesses.
Across the country, BFJ of Southwest Michigan gave a grant to help launch Fair Food Matters. Since 2002, FFM has been teaching thousands of diverse youth and adults every year, through school-based and community gardens, a commercial kitchen, farmers’ markets and dozens of food-related events and programs. Catch the passion of program mgr. Erica Barajas to bring equity and nourishment to Kalamazoo through food.

Compassion on a Global Scale—Helping Refugees to Thrive: An interview with Meg Erskine and Merna Ann Hecht

There are refugees who come to our country because they have been obliged to leave theirs. Some are in need of international protection. All are in need of a home.
As an act of global compassion, we offer shelter to people from the Congo, Burma, Bhutan, Iraq, Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Nepal, to name a few. How do they acclimate to life in the US? Today we will speak with two people who have dedicated their lives to helping refugees thrive, not just survive.
Join us and meet Meg Erskine of the Multicultural Refugee Coalition in Austin, TX and Merna Ann Hecht of the Voices Education Project in Seattle, WA. Both organizations are grant recipients of our Bread for the Journey chapters in their respective cities and they each offer something very different—yet profoundly essential— to the refugees on their path to peace.

Special Encore Presentation: Bonds that Heal: Horse and Human–An interview with Gus Jolley and Kelly Wendorf

“Meet 2 extraordinary people who have teamed up with our equine cousins – horses – to bring healing to the wounded and to teach communication, leadership, and relationship skills. With the help of a grant from Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe, accomplished riding instructor and veteran Gus Jolley started Listening Horse Therapeutic Riding to help veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other wounds of war. With his horses Promise, Sugar, and Zorro, Gus and a team of veteran and active military volunteers, offer free equine therapy to wounded veterans, teaching them the safety and peace of living in the moment, just as the horses do.
Writer and accomplished horsewoman Kelly Wendorf seeks to liberate what is already good, courageous and whole in people, using their encounter with horses. Kelly developed The Equus Experience, currently used in corporate, academic and organizational environments to explore collaborative leadership and personal development.”

Special Encore Presentation: Mark Nepo ~ Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have

Join your host Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews poet, teacher, and New York Times best selling author Mark Nepo.
A survivor of life-threatening cancer, Mark invites us to lean into life and hold nothing back: “What I have had to face are the great ordinary things that all of us have to face: the prospect of dying without having truly lived, and the prospect of living without having truly loved.”
With the gentle wisdom born of experience, Mark invites each of us to stay present to what is before us; to risk finding the extraordinary in the ordinary; and to open to the love and wisdom that are already present within us.
In 2010, Oprah Winfrey featured Mark’s The Book of Awakening on her Ultimate Favorite Things show. Oprah is doing one lesson from The Book of Awakening every morning and invites others to join her: “If we all do it together, we can begin to open our hearts, change the world and begin to have the life you want by being present to the life you have now.”

Special Encore Presentation: Business for Social Good: An Interview with Merry Korn

Merry Korn is a clinical social worker with exceptional business acumen. While she was very successful leading business management services for some of the country’s largest companies, Merry felt like a fish out of water. Then she discovered she could create an enterprise that is good for people and good for business.
So Merry launched Pearl Interactive Network, which delivers business services such as call centers and marketing research by tapping a workforce of skilled agents nationwide. What makes Merry’s business unique? The workforce she taps: service disabled veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities. With assistive technologies, Pearl Interactive enables skilled people who might be geographically isolated or blind to provide valuable business services, right from home. From Businessweek to the National Association of Women Business Owners, Pearl Interactive is recognized as a social enterprise that works. Tune in and let Merry’s story fuel your passion for good!

Awakening the Heart of Compassion in Teenagers—An interview with Margaret Howe and Jill Felice

Teachers and counselors at the Jr. High and high school level often encourage teens to volunteer in their local communities.It fosters an expanded social awareness in teens; helps with college applications; and gives them work experience. Today we’ll talk about 2 unique volunteer opportunities for teenagers that can help open their eyes and hearts to someone in need who may live next door or across town; show them how truly important they are to the community in which they live; and give them confidence to achieve things they never thought possible.
Meet Margaret Howe of Ceres Community Project and Jill Felice of Assistance Dogs of the West. Both people engage teenagers in service work that has the potential to deeply change their lives forever in a most positive way. Join us as we aim higher in our quest to bring teenagers into the heart of our communities.
Assistance Dogs of the West is a grantee of BFJ of Santa Fe. Ceres Community Project is a grantee of BFJ of Sonoma County.

Special Encore Presentation: The Business Case for Compassion: An interview with Pavrithra Mehta

This week Marianna interviews award-winning filmmaker and author Pavrithra Mehta. Mehta’s recent book Infinite Vision: How Aravind Became the World's Greatest Business Case for Compassion (2011) and her 2004 documentary film also titled Infinite Vision, follow the work of Dr. G. Venkataswamy, founder of the Aravind Eye Care System.

Special Encore Presentation: Music as Medicine for the Heart—an interview with Gary Malkin

If the 20th Century was considered the Age of Information, the 21st Century will likely be called the Age of Integration – a time of bringing together hearts and minds, science and spirituality, intellectual intelligence and emotional IQ. Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews Gary Malkin – the maestro of this alchemy. He is passionate about the vital role music, media, and the arts can play as an integrative resource for greater humanity and emotional intelligence. Through his organization, Wisdom of the World and as a composer for numerous award-winning television and film projects for nearly thirty years, Gary is known for working on socially responsible media projects supporting themes such as environmental sustainability, tolerance, children’s welfare, cancer research, and global healing. Join us as we talk about his life-enhancing project, Music as Medicine for the Heart and his remarkable CD Graceful Passages—A Companion for Living and Dying.

Finding a Path out of Youth Violence: An interview with Kelvin Potts

Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews Kelvin Potts, founder of the Teen Boys Rites of Passage program in Oakland, CA. Kelvin’s early life was marked by violence and self-destruction. Somehow, he survived and found his way out. Some of his friends didn’t. As an adult, Kelvin looked around his community and saw boys who, like him, were being subjected to violence and negative life styles from an early age. Armed with a personal mission to live life fully, Kelvin felt compelled to share his gift of leadership with young boys at risk. In 2009, with the help of a micro-grant from Bread for the Journey of Oakland, Kelvin developed Teen Boys Rites of Passage, a 12-week mentoring program where boys can share their life stories, their feelings, and their struggles. Drawing on real life experience, Kelvin teaches them communication techniques, violence prevention strategies, and how to make positive choices. Tune in and let Kelvin’s passion to transform lives stir the fire in your heart!

This week on BFJ Radio ~ In the aftermath of Aurora, CO – How do we care for those who grieve? with Marianna Cacciatore

This week we suffered a terrible tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. A gunman opened fire in a movie theatre, killing 12 people and injuring another 58. In times like this, everyone grieves, and sometimes we encounter people who need us to listen and help them process the loss. Even if we didn’t know a soul in that theatre,a loss like this triggers losses of our own. A smorgasbord of feelings may arise, which, when held in a space of love and compassion, can pass instead of remaining inside and debilitating us.Knowing how to be there for one another in the midst of sorrow is a sensitivity we can all learn.
Join host Marianna Cacciatore as she discusses her book, Being There for Someone in Grief, which explores how to love and hold one another through the unavoidable pain of loss. Marianna offers simple, helpful, respectful ways for being with someone in sorrow. Using the acronym SALT, as in the salt of tears, these skills become easy for us to remember and use, even in stressful situations.

Join Marianna as she interviews 2 passionate people who are nurturing and healing their communities through the power of healthy, local food.

In 2006, Cathryn Couch received a call from a friend, asking her if she could hire her teenaged daughter for the summer. That call set Cathryn on a path of teaching young people to cook, and providing nourishing, locally grown meals to people with a serious illness like cancer. With a seed grant from BFJ of Sonoma County, Ceres Community Project was launched. Five years later, the young gardeners and chefs have prepared over 110,000 meals for those with serious illnesses.
Across the country, BFJ of Southwest Michigan gave a grant to help launch Fair Food Matters. Since 2002, FFM has been teaching thousands of diverse youth and adults every year, through school-based and community gardens, a commercial kitchen, farmers’ markets and dozens of food-related events and programs. Catch the passion of program mgr. Erica Barajas to bring equity and nourishment to Kalamazoo through food.

Bread for the Journey Radio Saturday, July 14, 2012

Bonds that Heal: Horse and Human–An interview with Gus Jolley and Kelly Wendorf

“Meet 2 extraordinary people who have teamed up with our equine cousins – horses – to bring healing to the wounded and to teach communication, leadership, and relationship skills. With the help of a grant from Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe, accomplished riding instructor and veteran Gus Jolley started Listening Horse Therapeutic Riding to help veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other wounds of war. With his horses Promise, Sugar, and Zorro, Gus and a team of veteran and active military volunteers, offer free equine therapy to wounded veterans, teaching them the safety and peace of living in the moment, just as the horses do.
Writer and accomplished horsewoman Kelly Wendorf seeks to liberate what is already good, courageous and whole in people, using their encounter with horses. Kelly developed The Equus Experience, currently used in corporate, academic and organizational environments to explore collaborative leadership and personal development.”

Precious Time, Big Love – Volunteering for Good

The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.
Frederick Buechner
Join us this week as we speak with two volunteers of Bread for the Journey. Michelle Fulton gives her precious time to our most rural chapter in the Feather River region of northern California, near Quincy. Jill Heiney-Smith’s loving touch benefits those in the urban setting of Seattle, Washington. Learn what it means to run a Bread for the Journey chapter; to have an opportunity to work at one’s own pace, within one’s own schedule, and touch the lives of hundreds of others for good by offering small gifts with love.

Enriching Lives Through Music —an interview with Jane Kramer, PhD.

Imagine a music school located in a dense neighborhood comprised primarily of immigrant families where kids can learn, for free, how to play the violin, recorder, flute, clarinet and all manner of instruments. Jane Kramer did imagine that, and set about to create it in the canal district of San Rafael, CA—just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco—in a neighborhood where 22 languages are spoken.
Jane had a childhood rich in musical training and performance. She found the disparity in exposure to music for children in Marin County both striking and disturbing. “I find brilliant intelligence everywhere—equally distributed. But opportunity is not.
Enriching Lives Through Music is one way I can change that paradigm.”
After just 4 years, ELM has reached over 200 children through its after school program, summer camp, and an intensive Saturday music school. And on family nights everyone gets involved with bucket drumming, body percussion, and lots of laughter.

A Legacy of Environmental Leadership with Julian Bauer

Julian Bauer loves science and had a dream to create an Environmental Science AP program at his high school. He didn’t let the fact that he was a student, not a teacher, stop him.
Thanks to the staff at El Molino High School who supported him, and the folks at Bread for the Journey of Sonoma County who believed in him enough to give him a $1,000 grant, his dream has become a reality.
El Molino’s campus lies within the headwater area of Green Valley Creek, which drains to the Russian River in Sonoma County. The River provides habitat for endangered salmon and steelhead, drinking water and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.
Together the students developed a stewardship map for the school campus, including maps with drainage, vegetation, soils, habitat, and inventory of plant and wildlife species; monitored the water quality on campus to identify pollutants, their sources, and where they end up; and developed solutions for water quality improvement.

Little Farm in the City – An interview with Katie Pearson

Among the two acres of land that houses Tabitha Farm Urban Homestead and Community Garden sits a jungle gym, a swing-set and a basketball court where kids can come and play. Within the garden sits raised beds contained by two-by-fours that local kids can claim as their own. When Katie Pearson bought a two-acre foreclosure in Kalamazoo, Mich. she dreamed of turning it into a garden where people from the community could come and enjoy each other’s company and learn to grow produce. And that’s exactly what she did.
Join us this week on BFJ Radio as Marianna Cacciatore interviews urban farmer, Katie Pearson who has dedicated her life to helping people in her community have fun while sharing a more sustainable way of living. Tabitha Farm Urban Homestead and Community Garden is a grantee of Bread for the Journey of Southwest Michigan.

Creativity for Women in Prison: An interview with Katherine Craft

From 1995 to 2008, the number of women in state and federal prisons nationwide increased by 203%. In Austin TX, Katherine Craft knew she could not do much to reduce the trend, but she knew she could help those inside explore new possibilities for their future. Thus, Conspire Theatre was created to bring theatre and writing into women’s correctional facilities.
Creative expression can be transformative, helping incarcerated women to empower themselves in the disempowering venue of prison; re-write their story and develop leadership skills. Bread for the Journey of Austin gave Conspire Theatre $1,000 to further their work and today, Marianna will be talking to Conspire Theatre’s founder, Katherine Craft.
Katherine has over 15 years experience as an actor, writer, director and theatre maker. After completing her BA in Theatre from Austin College, she received her Master’s Degree in Applied Drama from Goldsmiths College, University of London.
Join us for this encouraging interview.

Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews best-selling author, Parker J. Palmer about his latest book, Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit.
In these cynical times, we think of politics as the purview of powerful politicians. Palmer dispels that idea by offering thoughtful insight, historical examples, and practical ideas to get us thinking of ways we can each actively contribute to strengthening this gift of democracy we’ve been given.
Palmer argues, “The impulses that make democracy possible—and those that threaten it—originate in the heart.”
Heart…is a word that reaches far beyond our feelings. It is where we can learn how to “think the world together,” not apart, and find the courage to act on what we know.
Through true-life “political” stories, Palmer teaches us habits of the heart that empower “We the People” to take our rightful place in the creation of the life we share.
Tune in and renew your heart’s courage!

Special Encore Presentation: The Business Case for Compassion: An interview with Pavrithra Mehta

This week Marianna interviews award-winning filmmaker and author Pavrithra Mehta. Mehta’s recent book Infinite Vision: How Aravind Became the World's Greatest Business Case for Compassion (2011) and her 2004 documentary film also titled Infinite Vision, follow the work of Dr. G. Venkataswamy, founder of the Aravind Eye Care System.

BEING A COMPASSIONATE COMPANION TO THE DYING: Frank Ostaseski

Caring for people who are dying can be an intimate and deeply alive experience. It is a journey of continuous discovery, requiring courage and flexibility. We learn to open, take risks, and forgive. Taken as a practice of awareness, it can reveal both our deep clinging and our capacity to embrace another person's suffering as our own.
This week, Marianna interviews Frank Ostaseski, founder of the Zen Hospice Project and his current project, Metta Institute, which provides broad based education on mindful and compassionate end of life care. A visionary Buddhist teacher and healthcare consultant, Frank’s groundbreaking work on the contemplative care of the dying has been widely featured in the media, including Bill Moyers’ On Our Own Terms and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Frank will introduce us to his Five Precepts of Service which addresses the practical, emotional, and spiritual issues inherent in this unique relationship.
Join us on this courageous, heart-opening journey!

Music as Medicine for the Heart—an interview with Gary Malkin

If the 20th Century was considered the Age of Information, the 21st Century will likely be called the Age of Integration – a time of bringing together hearts and minds, science and spirituality, intellectual intelligence and emotional IQ. Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews Gary Malkin – the maestro of this alchemy. He is passionate about the vital role music, media, and the arts can play as an integrative resource for greater humanity and emotional intelligence. Through his organization, Wisdom of the World and as a composer for numerous award-winning television and film projects for nearly thirty years, Gary is known for working on socially responsible media projects supporting themes such as environmental sustainability, tolerance, children’s welfare, cancer research, and global healing. Join us as we talk about his life-enhancing project, Music as Medicine for the Heart and his remarkable CD Graceful Passages—A Companion for Living and Dying.

Special Encore Presentation: Conversations that Matter—Cathey Capers and John Sarrouf

In Austin, dialogue facilitator Cathey Capers brings diverse members of her community to the table to cultivate a Culture of Conversation. In meaningful conversation at small, intimate dinners, she believes we uncover the wisdom and resources needed to heal our communities from within. Cathey is the founder of Austin’s chapter of Bread for the Journey—a grass roots philanthropic organization that makes room at the table for everyone to make a difference. Mediator John Sarrouf leads the research-based Family Dinner Project, empowering families to have conversations that matter while sharing food and having fun together. Despite working in some of the most difficult arenas—including post civil war Lebanon—John remains endlessly hopeful that conversations can heal us. Join us as we explore the many ways sharing a meal with a small, select group of people, and with intention, can create stronger communities—one meal at a time. Tune in and be nourished by this conversation that matters!

Special Encore Presentation: Mark Nepo ~ Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have

Join your host Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews poet, teacher, and New York Times best selling author Mark Nepo.
A survivor of life-threatening cancer, Mark invites us to lean into life and hold nothing back: “What I have had to face are the great ordinary things that all of us have to face: the prospect of dying without having truly lived, and the prospect of living without having truly loved.”
With the gentle wisdom born of experience, Mark invites each of us to stay present to what is before us; to risk finding the extraordinary in the ordinary; and to open to the love and wisdom that are already present within us.
In 2010, Oprah Winfrey featured Mark’s The Book of Awakening on her Ultimate Favorite Things show. Oprah is doing one lesson from The Book of Awakening every morning and invites others to join her: “If we all do it together, we can begin to open our hearts, change the world and begin to have the life you want by being present to the life you have now.”

Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living. An interview with Allen Lokos

Join your host Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews Allen Lokos, spiritual teacher and author of Pocket Peace: Effective Practices for Enlightened Living and the new best-seller Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living.
Lokos’ inspiration for his latest book began with a bolt of recognition as a friend mused, “Just about every mistake I have ever made and every unkind word I have ever spoken might have been avoided if I had been more patient.” Lokos suspects that this is also true for many of us.
Might the practice of patience enable us to be more kind, generous, and peaceful in our lives? Lokos thinks so. Founder and guiding teacher of the Community Meditation Center in New York, Lokos draws on his many years of practice as well as the stories of people who have had their patience tested mightily, to offer a roadmap for cultivating patience in our daily lives.
Tune in and join us for this journey into the heart of patience!

Special Encore Presentation: Business for Social Good: An Interview with Merry Korn

Merry Korn is a clinical social worker with exceptional business acumen. While she was very successful leading business management services for some of the country’s largest companies, Merry felt like a fish out of water. Then she discovered she could create an enterprise that is good for people and good for business.
So Merry launched Pearl Interactive Network, which delivers business services such as call centers and marketing research by tapping a workforce of skilled agents nationwide. What makes Merry’s business unique? The workforce she taps: service disabled veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities. With assistive technologies, Pearl Interactive enables skilled people who might be geographically isolated or blind to provide valuable business services, right from home. From Businessweek to the National Association of Women Business Owners, Pearl Interactive is recognized as a social enterprise that works. Tune in and let Merry’s story fuel your passion for good!

Bread for the Journey Radio Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Business Case for Compassion: An interview with Pavrithra Mehta

This week Marianna interviews award-winning filmmaker and author Pavrithra Mehta. Mehta’s recent book Infinite Vision: How Aravind Became the World's Greatest Business Case for Compassion (2011) and her 2004 documentary film also titled Infinite Vision, follow the work of Dr. G. Venkataswamy, founder of the Aravind Eye Care System.

Kindness and Compassion – A Conversation with Marianna Cacciatore and Greg McGlaze

This week on Bread for the Journey radio we’ll be talking about Kindness, Generosity and Compassion. We’ll tell stories about small acts of kindness and the long-lasting trails they leave behind; the growth of compassion when – through the hand of our own or the hand of fate—we find ourselves in the company of someone in greater need than us. We’ll talk about why it matters to nurture the seed of generosity in our own human heart. Join Marianna Cacciatore and her partner, Greg McGlaze, for this enlivening conversation.

Special Encore Presentation: Exploring the 3G's of Life: Grief, Gratitude and Generosity, with Nichole Christian

Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews Nichole Christian, founder and Chief Believer of The Circle Fund—A Bread for the Journey Partner, in Detroit, Michigan. The Circle Fund works to help promising young children, grades 3 through 8, participate in educational enrichment opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach. Nichole is a writer whose most recent work is featured in Dear Dad: Reflections on Fatherhood. Nichole is also the creator of ThinkThis!Designs, a positive apparel company that encourages us to live with Fearless Hope!
Nichole and Marianna will be discussing the 3 G’s of life – Grief, Gratitude and Generosity. Both Nichole and Marianna have experienced the phenomenon of grief eventually opening up to gratitude and generosity. Some say grief makes a hole in your heart. Each of us has a choice to make about what to do with that “hole.”

Businesses that are Best “For” the World—An Interview with Jay Coen Gilbert

This week Marianna interviews Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab. Jay’s vision is simple yet ambitious: to redefine success in business. What would success look like? Individuals having greater economic opportunity, society moving closer to a positive environmental footprint, more people being employed in great places to work, and stronger communities at home and across the world. Jay and B Lab are building a community of Certified B Corporations that use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corps meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance and transparency. By also advancing socially responsible investments and public policies, B Lab is redefining business success. Today there are 517 Certified B Corporations in 60 industries representing $2.9 billion in revenues. With B Corp certification, you can tell the difference between “good companies” and just good marketing, so you can support businesses that align with your values.

Farming for Good: Greg Welsh of Organic Valley Farms

This week we talk with Greg Welsh of Organic Valley Farms – a national cooperative owned by family farmers. From their start in 1988, Organic Valley Farms has based all of their decisions on the health and welfare of people, animals, and the earth. We felt that qualified them as good citizens of the earth.
Greg grew up on the Welsh Family Farm in Lansing, Iowa. His family farm was certified organic in 1988, when certification was in its infancy. He was there when Organic Valley Farms formed, a time when family farms were on the brink of extinction. Creating a cooperative helped them to save their farms. Instead of folding, they flourished. Greg was Organic Valley’s first employee and Co-op Manager.
Today Organic Valley is the number one source of organic milk in the nation. Basing all decisions on the health of people, animals, and the earth has paid off in the most holistic way possible.
Tune in and explore how your choices can make a difference for the family of earth.

Business for Social Good: An Interview with Merry Korn

Merry Korn is a clinical social worker with exceptional business acumen. While she was very successful leading business management services for some of the country’s largest companies, Merry felt like a fish out of water. Then she discovered she could create an enterprise that is good for people and good for business.
So Merry launched Pearl Interactive Network, which delivers business services such as call centers and marketing research by tapping a workforce of skilled agents nationwide. What makes Merry’s business unique? The workforce she taps: service disabled veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities. With assistive technologies, Pearl Interactive enables skilled people who might be geographically isolated or blind to provide valuable business services, right from home. From Businessweek to the National Association of Women Business Owners, Pearl Interactive is recognized as a social enterprise that works. Tune in and let Merry’s story fuel your passion for good!

Join Marianna Cacciatore this week as she interviews Chad Hale, a minister who discovered an innovative way to feed people in need that preserves their dignity and honors their talents and gifts.
Bridging racial, social and political divides, Hale joined with longtime community members to launch the Georgia Avenue Food Cooperative in Atlanta, GA. Not a food pantry or charity, everyone at the cooperative has a role to play in acquiring, unloading, sorting and distributing the food, thus empowering people in need to help themselves. The cooperatives have now grown to five, with 50 families each, serving 250 families. The project, which is drawing nationwide attention, now trains others to form community-led food cooperatives.
Tune in and be inspired by this “ordinary” person following his heart on its extraordinary path.

Special Encore Presentation: Conversations that Matter—Cathey Capers and John Sarrouf

In Austin, dialogue facilitator Cathey Capers brings diverse members of her community to the table to cultivate a Culture of Conversation. In meaningful conversation at small, intimate dinners, she believes we uncover the wisdom and resources needed to heal our communities from within. Cathey is the founder of Austin’s chapter of Bread for the Journey—a grass roots philanthropic organization that makes room at the table for everyone to make a difference. Mediator John Sarrouf leads the research-based Family Dinner Project, empowering families to have conversations that matter while sharing food and having fun together. Despite working in some of the most difficult arenas—including post civil war Lebanon—John remains endlessly hopeful that conversations can heal us. Join us as we explore the many ways sharing a meal with a small, select group of people, and with intention, can create stronger communities—one meal at a time. Tune in and be nourished by this conversation that matters!

Being There for Someone in Grief

Grief and loss are inevitable. In the span of a lifetime, each of us will be called on to be there for others we love and care about as they grieve, just as one day we will need friends to be there for us. We respond to this call by simply doing it, by courageously facing and being present with the sorrows as well as the joys of life.
Join host Marianna Cacciatore as she discusses her book, Being There for Someone in Grief, which explores the sweet, mysterious terrain where we all take turns loving, grieving, and holding one another through the unavoidable pain of loss. Marianna will share with us a few simple, helpful, respectful ways to be when in the company of someone in sorrow. Using the acronym, SALT, as in the salt of tears, these four skills become easy for us to remember, even in stressful situations.

Generosity Inviting the Company of Strangers

Join Marianna Cacciatore as she welcomes back best-selling author, Parker J. Palmer.
In his latest book, Healing the Heart of Democracy, Parker makes the case that human diversity, freely expressed, can strengthen this gift of democracy we’ve been given.
By nature, humans tend to “tribe” with those who are similar. Parker argues that in order to experience the resilience, creativity, adaptability, and strength that diversity can offer us, we must actively seek opportunities to invite the “other” into our lives.
On our show, Marianna and Parker will explore the generous practices at the heart of inviting the “other” in: hospitality, listening, sharing meals, giving people the benefit of the doubt, deepening our capacity for compassion. These practices of the heart sweeten and enrich our lives, and can heal the heart of our democracy.
What might happen if we actively open our hearts and homes to the “other”? Tune in and explore with us!

Mark Nepo ~ Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have

Join your host Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews poet, teacher, and New York Times best selling author Mark Nepo.
A survivor of life-threatening cancer, Mark invites us to lean into life and hold nothing back: “What I have had to face are the great ordinary things that all of us have to face: the prospect of dying without having truly lived, and the prospect of living without having truly loved.”
With the gentle wisdom born of experience, Mark invites each of us to stay present to what is before us; to risk finding the extraordinary in the ordinary; and to open to the love and wisdom that are already present within us.
In 2010, Oprah Winfrey featured Mark’s The Book of Awakening on her Ultimate Favorite Things show. Oprah is doing one lesson from The Book of Awakening every morning and invites others to join her: “If we all do it together, we can begin to open our hearts, change the world and begin to have the life you want by being present to the life you have now.”

Exploring the 3G's of Life: Grief, Gratitude and Generosity, with Nichole Christian

Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews Nichole Christian, founder and Chief Believer of The Circle Fund—A Bread for the Journey Partner, in Detroit, Michigan. The Circle Fund works to help promising young children, grades 3 through 8, participate in educational enrichment opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach. Nichole is a writer whose most recent work is featured in Dear Dad: Reflections on Fatherhood. Nichole is also the creator of ThinkThis!Designs, a positive apparel company that encourages us to live with Fearless Hope!
Nichole and Marianna will be discussing the 3 G’s of life – Grief, Gratitude and Generosity. Both Nichole and Marianna have experienced the phenomenon of grief eventually opening up to gratitude and generosity. Some say grief makes a hole in your heart. Each of us has a choice to make about what to do with that “hole.”

Feeding People, Preserving Dignity – An Interview with Chad Hale

Join Marianna Cacciatore this week as she interviews Chad Hale, a minister who discovered an innovative way to feed people in need that preserves their dignity and honors their talents and gifts.
Bridging racial, social and political divides, Hale joined with longtime community members to launch the Georgia Avenue Food Cooperative in Atlanta, GA. Not a food pantry or charity, everyone at the cooperative has a role to play in acquiring, unloading, sorting and distributing the food, thus empowering people in need to help themselves. The cooperatives have now grown to five, with 50 families each, serving 250 families. The project, which is drawing nationwide attention, now trains others to form community-led food cooperatives.
Tune in and be inspired by this “ordinary” person following his heart on its extraordinary path.

A Heart Opening Story of Forgiveness

Carolyn Mosely has lived through every parent’s nightmare – the violent death of her child. Her youngest daughter Ortralla was stabbed in the hall of her high school by her ex-boyfriend. Just 15, “Trella’s” last words were words of forgiveness for her murderer.
Today, Carolyn is changing the landscape of teen dating violence in America for the better. Inspired by her child’s offering of forgiveness, she advocated for passage of Texas’ first Teen Dating Violence Act, which requires every high school to provide dating violence prevention education. She developed a curriculum promoting healthy relationships for use in all Texas Youth Commission’s halfway homes for juvenile offenders. All this while working nights as a security officer and earning degrees in juvenile justice and criminal psychology. Each day, Carolyn asks, “What can I do to help a child?”
http://www.ortrallafoundation.org

Sarah Grace — A Life Well-Lived: A Perspective at 75 Years Old

Sarah Grace exemplifies the phrase, “A life well-lived.” She is not a person of great wealth, nor has she traveled the world. Her “life well-lived” has happened by being true to herself throughout her life, by nurturing a generous spirit, and by being of service to those in need. She has worked with the disability community for over 30 years and was very active during the AIDS epidemic. A Licensed Art Therapist and certified EMDR practitioner, Sarah has offered guidance and support to people healing from traumatic life experiences. Sarah is a wise elder, a true friend to those she loves, and a playful mother to a great international clan that has grown from her 6 children. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her wonderful Papillon Service Dog, Chico.
Tune in and be inspired by Sarah’s perspectives on life, generosity, and a life well-lived.

Conversations that Matter—Cathey Capers and John Sarrouf

In Austin, dialogue facilitator Cathey Capers brings diverse members of her community to the table to cultivate a Culture of Conversation. In meaningful conversation at small, intimate dinners, she believes we uncover the wisdom and resources needed to heal our communities from within. Cathey is the founder of Austin’s chapter of Bread for the Journey—a grass roots philanthropic organization that makes room at the table for everyone to make a difference. Mediator John Sarrouf leads the research-based Family Dinner Project, empowering families to have conversations that matter while sharing food and having fun together. Despite working in some of the most difficult arenas—including post civil war Lebanon—John remains endlessly hopeful that conversations can heal us. Join us as we explore the many ways sharing a meal with a small, select group of people, and with intention, can create stronger communities—one meal at a time. Tune in and be nourished by this conversation that matters!

Healing the Heart of Democracy – Parker J. Palmer

Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews best-selling author, Parker J. Palmer about his latest book, Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit.
In these cynical times, we think of politics as the purview of powerful politicians. Palmer dispels that idea by offering thoughtful insight, historical examples, and practical ideas to get us thinking of ways we can each actively contribute to strengthening this gift of democracy we’ve been given.
Palmer argues, “The impulses that make democracy possible—and those that threaten it—originate in the heart.”
Heart…is a word that reaches far beyond our feelings. It is where we can learn how to “think the world together,” not apart, and find the courage to act on what we know.
Through true-life “political” stories, Palmer teaches us habits of the heart that empower “We the People” to take our rightful place in the creation of the life we share.
Tune in and renew your heart’s courage!

An Intention to Heal - Alison Bonds Shapiro

Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews inspiring author Alison Bonds Shapiro.
At age 55, Alison suffered two devastating brain stem strokes. Profoundly disabled, she believed she was without a productive future.
Today, Alison is no longer disabled. She is an accomplished speaker, author, artist, and business consultant. “But most of all,” she says, “I love supporting survivors and their families.”
During her remarkable recovery, Alison discovered that it’s not what happens to us that makes the difference. It’s how we deal with the challenges of our lives that can change everything. And she learned about the brain’s astonishing ability to remake itself in the aftermath of great damage.
In her book Healing Into Possibility: the Transformational Lessons of a Stroke, Alison’s story attests that “through the power of intention, attention and awareness we can actively promote our own healing and develop the creativity needed to shape a new life.”

Igniting the Fire of Creative Service

Join your host Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews revolutionary Austin artist, Jean-Pierre Verdijo. Jean-Pierre leads the Young Artists in Service Project at the Amala Foundation in Austin, TX. His team of teen artists teaches art to vulnerable children and they create murals of hope for homeless shelters and other “under-arted” spaces. As a child, Jean-Pierre and his mother navigated a life of homelessness. He often found himself sitting in dismal human services buildings that lacked art and expression. Art became his refuge, and today he uses art to inspire creativity and hope in Austin’s underserved communities and the teen artists he mentors.
Jean-Pierre says, “I am inspired by love. For 12 years, I have explored the effects of love over fear. That curiosity has taken me as far away as India and as close as observing my own breath. In art therapy, I found my personal healing and an ability to help young people.”
Let his story ignite the spirit of creative service in you.

Journey Through Grief to Generosity

Join changemaker, author, and dynamic host Marianna Cacciatore for the debut of Bread for the Journey Radio ~ Interviews with Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Deeds.
The debut show begins with a twist. Frank Taylor, a former director of international programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Latin American Bureau Chief for Business Week magazine interviews your host, Marianna Cacciatore. From childhood tragedy, Marianna created something beautiful to help others, founding a grief center in Tucson, Arizona that continues to bring healing to thousands. Her recent book, Being There for Someone in Grief, recounts her story and offers us essential lessons in how to support others grieving death, loss, and trauma.
Today, Marianna is Executive Director of Bread for the Journey, a national philanthropic organization dedicated to nurturing the seed of generosity in every human heart. Tune in and let Marianna’s journey from sorrow to service ignite the heart of generosity in you.